(Closed) Angelcare monitor?

Does anyone have experience with this or are you planning on ordering one?

Norah is currently napping on her stomach on my lap. This is the second time today I’ve laid her across my lap, and in spite of some severe fussiness (growth spurt yay!) she fell asleep instantly both times. The first time I tried everything I could think of to get her to sleep, the second time I just tried it right off the bat.

Right now she sleeps on her side in the bed with us and it’s working out fine, but I want to start to transition her to her crib in about 6 weeks, so I feel like I need to figure out a game plan now. I was thinking if she sleeps so easily on her stomach I could get the Angelcare monitor and feel a little more secure, but I’m not sure how safe it actually is, or how worth the $160 it is, so I’d like to know if anyone else uses it.

I never used one, but my son slept on his tummy a lot. But by the time he went to a crib, he had enough head strength to move his head from side to side while on his tummy, so I didn’t worry to much. Plus, when we were babies, my mom said she was told to have us sleep on our tummies, so it didn’t worry me too much.

If you put Norah to sleep on her stomach, can you later turn her over onto her back or side without her waking up? A lot of babies sleep better on their side or stomach because it doesn’t trigger their falling reflex like being on their back does. But it is really unsafe to put your baby to sleep on her stomach, and I totally understand your hesitation in not allowing her to sleep that way without some kind of extra reassurance.

If Norah wakes up the moment you move her out of the stomach sleep position, I think the Angelcare monitor is the way to go. One of my friend’s sisters used the monitor, and she said it was a godsend. Apparently it went off more often when her baby was a newborn and still regulting his breathing, but she used it all the way up to a year old, I think. Can you buy it used (thrift store, Craigslist, etc…) to help with the cost?

My sister has the Angel Care monitor, as has several of our friends, and they all swear by it. It is notorius for false alarms, but most people say they would rather check extra then not know. Also, I would do a lot of research. There are 2 models of the monitor and if I remember correctly the older one is more reliable. I read tons of reviews before deciding against it.

If I remember correctly the two main issues were

1. sound quality of the monitor. A lot of people had huge issues with static / interference but no problems with the secondary mechanism that warns for non movement.

2. Other people had issues where the alarm went off all of the time so they were unable to use it (all it did was scare them and wake up the baby).

Not everyone had these issues though so I questioned whether it was possibly an issue with poor quality control and several defunct models. So if you do purchase one I would do some experimentation to make sure that it is working correctly (make sure the alarm works but doesn’t go off all of the time). That way if it is defunct you can take it back as appropriate for the return policy.

My sister hasn’t had any of these problems. She has had false alarms but my neice is 18 moz and as soon as she was old enough to move around she did… so she often ends up sleeping squashed up in the corner of the crib. Since the monitor is only in the center of the crib the alarm goes off as soon as she works her way into the corner. They were not false alarms because of an unworking model as mentioned above.

I believe they are carried at babies r us and that they have a decent return policy.

If you have any specific questions feel free to shoot them my way. And I can ask my sister if you would like. 🙂

Also, have you tried swaddeling her? Like mentioned above, a lot of babies like to sleep on their stomach because it feels safer. Sometimes swaddeling will do the same. I have a kiddopotamus blanket and love it. It keeps her super cozy.

we were told by the nurses at the hospital where my son was born that they arent supposed to recommend the use of these types of monitors…I think mostly they give false security.

I would try swaddling if you havent already. my son would only fall alseep on one of our chests on his belly for the first few weeks of his life and hated being swaddled. but when we moved him to his crib at 6 weeks he wouldnt fall alseep/stay asleep because of the moro reflex. i started swaddling him and he slept fine. I had to continue swaddling him until about a month ago when he started rolling and squirming so much! just make sure that your baby isnt too warm when swaddled. Good Luck